I have a longing to jumpstart and re-align. I have admittedly fallen out of my personal practice and my necessary self-care has been pushed to the back-burner. I needed a kick in the pants.
I wouldn’t consider myself religious, as I don’t subscribe to a particular religion or practice. However, seeing posts from friends online declaring their exit from social media or videos of them throwing away their cookies for Lent peaked my interest. All I knew about Lent was what I’ve pieced together from folks over the years. I need to give up something I would miss for 40 days – sugar, cheese, wine, sex, the list goes on. The idea of “giving up” something I love didn’t sound like fun or a helpful practice for me.
I was curious and set out to learn more about Lent (cue those intentions I set). Here’s what I’ve learned:
The concept behind Lent is that Christians will remember Jesus’ actions in the wilderness by fasting for the 40 days leading up to Easter, when he was resurrected. It’s a period of time to give up a “comfort” or adopt a spiritual practice. Either practice will lead to a renewal of the soul and allow for self-reflection. It’s helping to prepare you to better serve others in the coming year. The United Methodist Church explains that it’s a time to, “take on new life-giving practices, helping to rid ourselves of distractions and our own selfish desires.”
Doing something I love consistently, for 40 days (or 46 days if you count Sundays) sounds like the push I need for my yoga practice. I’m challenging myself to post something about my practice every day over on Instagram. Each time I step onto my yoga mat, I renew my soul and I’m allowed space to reflect. Why am I not stepping on to my mat more? Over these next 46 days, I intend to step onto my mat everyday and move my body in some way.
Be on my Accountability Team and follow along on my Instagram!